Increased use of antiobesity drugs among British children

Increased use of antiobesity drugs among British children

"Today I have math class, dentist, and the dinner, which I forget the diet pill. According to a study shows, this is the reality of hundreds of British children, for whom anti-obesity drugs are a more routine day-to-day. A study has shown that consumption of these drugs has increased considerably in recent years, although not specifically indicated for children.

The authors of this paper, members of the University of London, analyzed the recipes in this class of drugs carried out in different primary care clinics in the country (covering about 5% of the population) between 1999 and 2006.

Although orlistat and sibutramine are indicated only in the UK for adults, health authorities authorized its use for the treatment of obese children and adolescents but only "under certain circumstances."



The reality is that since the introduction of these drugs on the market "its use grew very quickly", say the researchers, who noted that consumption in 2006 was 15 times higher than in 1999.

In this period, a total of 452 children and adolescents-mostly girls-received 1334 prescriptions for anti-obesity drugs (mainly orlistat and sibutramine).
Discontinuation

The research also showed that monitoring of the medication was very poor. "Only 25% of those taking orlistat and 35% of those who were treated with sibutramine therapy continued for more than three months, which is considered adequate to verify its clinical benefit, researchers say.

Although no information on the reasons for this neglect, the researchers suggest that these data "are likely to reflect both a poor therapeutic efficacy as a lack of education and preparing the patient before prescribing.

By extrapolating their data to the general population, these authors suggest that, in fact, about 1,300 British children a year could be receiving anti-obesity drugs.

In its conclusions, the researchers remark that, given the extensive use of drugs among children, they become more than necessary further work to examine in depth the specific safety and effectiveness of these drugs in this population and, on the other hand , analyzed the causes of the rapid abandonment of the treatments detected.

The situation in Spain

Although no similar studies on children's consumption of these drugs in Spain, it seems that the situation in our country is very different to the UK.

Empar Lurbe, head of pediatric service of Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia and researcher at the Research Center on Obesity and Nutrition Network (CIBERobn) indicates that these drugs are indicated only in exceptional cases. "Usually in children with other associated problems, and only when already implemented changes in their habits," he says. "It's never the first choice and, really, is performed in very few kids," she insists.

Lurbe, who heads ETIOBE program, an initiative that uses new technologies to customize treatments and enhance the motivation and monitoring of therapies in children with obesity, said that "the solution to these problems is never a pill."

In his words, "the key is to learn to eat right and lead an active life, which often requires a multidisciplinary specialists (endocrine, pediatricians, psychologists, etc.) and involvement of all affected environment.